403 Forbidden

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved a permit to begin construction of the first 1.3-mile segment of the planned 52-mile Northern Beltline, the agency confirmed.

The Corps of Engineers signed off on the permit on Monday.

"The Department of Transportation has received from the Corps of Engineers the final permit needed to begin construction," Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Harris said.

It is expected the news is the "major transportation project announcement" Gov. Robert Bentley is scheduled to make Tuesday afternoon in Gardendale.

The first segment will connect Alabama 75 with Alabama 79 north of Pinson. Harris said ALDOT is preparing to solicit bids during the department's scheduled letting of Nov. 22.

The highway is predicted to take about 30 to 35 years to complete.

Talked about for decades, the new highway -- part of the Appalachian Development Highway System -- is planned to run along the northern rim of metro Birmingham, forming a semicircle through northern Jefferson County to link the Interstate 20/59-459 junction in Bessemer with Interstates 22, 65 and 59.

Opponents have blasted the highway's overall cost, usefulness and environmental impacts. Proponents say the new road will create construction jobs and bring a new avenue for economic growth and new jobs to the metro area.

Harris called the Federal Highway Administration's estimate the high end of a price range which assumes certain "risk factors," or things that could add to the project's overall cost and schedule.

Those factors include stormwater management, soil and rock conditions, additional bridges and any environmental mitigation. Harris said it is unlikely all of those risk factors would be met.

ALDOT announced in December it would purchase additional right-of-way for stormwater management.

The project had a dedicated funding stream until October 2012, when new federal transportation funding rules went into effect.

The estimated $150 million collected before the new rules is for all Alabama roads on the Appalachian highway system, and is being used to complete Interstate 22, Corridor V in northwestern Alabama and will be used on the beltline, ALDOT Director John Cooper said this summer.

As for funding Northern Beltline construction, Harris said Congress has made the project a national priority. Corridor work authorized by Sept. 30, 2022, is eligible for full federal funding with no required matching funds from the state, he said.

In 2011, environmental groups filed a lawsuit against ALDOT, asking for an updated environmental impact statement that accounts for changes in economic conditions, rising project costs and environmental effects since ALDOT's assessment was done in 1997.

Sarah Stokes, staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center -- one of the plaintiffs in the suit -- said Monday the group will continue to push for alternatives to the project.

"While we are disappointed at the decision of the Army Corps of Engineers, we continue to believe that there is a better solution that addresses economic issues than the $5.4 billion Northern Beltline - one that does not endanger Birmingham's natural resources and quality of life," Stokes said in a statement.

"SELC and our partners will continue to raise these important issues concerning the high costs of the Beltline to our transportation budget and our environment," Stokes continued.